Tens of thousands of people have protested in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, against plans to sharply raise gas and electricity prices. A BBC correspondent in Kiev said the protests were as big as those during the 2004 Orange Revolution, which swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power. Consumers face a near doubling of gas and electricity prices from 1 July, Ukraine's trade unions say. Russia doubled the price of gas supplies to Ukraine earlier this year. Left-wing opposition groups joined trade unionists at the Kiev demonstration. Yulia Tymoshenko, set to return as Ukraine's prime minister this week, has called for the controversial gas supply deal with Russia to be reviewed. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

The Nation's Capital readied Tuesday for more of the heavy rains that slathered highways with mud, brought down a 100-year-old elm tree on the White House lawn and caused flooding that shuttered the National Archives, National Zoo and major government buildings like the IRS and Justice Department headquarters. Rising waters in area rivers have breached their banks and dams, dumping mudslides onto major arteries like the Washington Beltway, and wreaking havoc for drivers trying to outrun the floodwaters, reports CBS News correspondent Joie Chen. With more flash floods in the forecast, government employees were given the option of taking a vacation or personal day. National Guard members were mobilized to distribute sandbags to residents in low-lying areas of the city. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/national/main1754148.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1754148

The European Commission is ready to impose a fine of 2m euros ($2.5m; £1.4m) a day on Microsoft. The Commission is expected to rule that Microsoft has failed to fully implement its 2004 antitrust decision. Under the ruling, Microsoft had to supply rivals with information about its Windows operating system. On Monday, Microsoft said it had begun to provide the information Brussels had demanded, but the Commission has signalled the company acted too late. In December, Brussels informed the software giant that it had failed to comply with the original ruling it issued in March 2004. At the time of the warning, the Commission said Microsoft would face fines of up to 2m euros a day if it did not comply immediately. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5120536.stm

Israel has a history of negotiating prisoner exchanges with her enemies, who have often used hostage taking as a political tool. In 1985 Israel agreed to the release of more than 1,150 Palestinian prisoners in return for three soldiers taken captive in Lebanon.Almost 20 years later, a similar deal was reached with the militant group Hizbullah, in which years of German-brokered negotiations led to an agreement between Israel and the militants in early 2004 to release more than 400 militants in exchange for the businessman Tannenbaum Elhanan, who had been captured four years earlier, and the bodies of three soldiers.Despite a suicide bomber killing 10 Israelis on the day of the prisoners' release, the exchange went ahead without a hitch. Hizbullah arranged for the soldier's remains to be flown to Germany for identification, while Israel began shipping busses filled with former prisoners to Lebanon. ...http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1099164.ece

Five years after the West promised to rebuild Afghanistan, the country is facing its worst crisis since the Taliban was overthrown. President Hamid Karzai and his western backers are seriously disillusioned with each other, while the Islamic militia is resurgent and people are being killed at a rate not seen since the 2001 American-led invasion.At a recent reception for the Queen's 80th birthday at the new British Council in Kabul the scene may have been picturesque, with hundreds of diplomats, officers and Afghan dignitaries mingling on the lush green lawn, but the talk among them was full of gloom and desperation. Outside, lines of British troops kept guard against a possible Taliban attack.Among the envoys and Afghan politicians there was abundant, and scathing, criticism of Mr Karzai's inability to govern effectively or punish those in his administration who are corrupt, dealing in drugs or close to the Taliban...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/27/wafg27.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/27/ixnews.html

A three-story Elks Club building partially collapsed as its members gathered for a dinner, injuring several people and trapping some inside.Local business owner Barry Glasscock said dozens of people were on the second floor of the building in this west-central Missouri town when the third floor collapsed. At least one person had not been accounted for, he said, but that could not immediately be confirmed.Witnesses said rescuers had made contact by cellphone with at least eight of nine people who were trapped, WDAF-TV reported.Club members had gathered for dinner and were preparing to initiate new members at a meeting that was to start at 8 p.m. when the collapse occurred around 7:30 p.m.Glasscock said hundreds of people gathered on the square immediately after the collapse....http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-27-building-collapse_x.htm?csp=34